Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

s containing 17 extant species of ringtailed

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi ** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban a ...

and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

Characteristics

Physically, they appear very similar to the

pygmy possum The pygmy possums are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family Burramyidae. The five extant species of pygmy possum are grouped into two genera. Four of the species are endemic to Australia, with one species also co-occu ...

s, except for their greater size. Even so, they are relatively small animals, with the largest being cat-sized, and they weigh between 200 grams and 2 kilograms. They have grasping hands and feet with opposable first toes on their hindfeet, and, in all species save the

greater glider The greater gliders are three species of large gliding marsupials in the genus ''Petauroides'', all of which are found in eastern Australia. Until 2020 they were considered to be one species, '' Petauroides volans''. In 2020 morphological and gen ...

, a

prehensile tail A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp or hold objects. Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees. If the ta ...

. They are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, with large eyes. All species feed almost entirely on leaves. To enable them to digest this tough and fibrous food, they have an enlarged cecum containing fermenting bacteria, and, like

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s, they are coprophagous, passing food through their digestive tracts twice. Their teeth include a battery of grinding molars, and they lack lower canines. Their dental formula is: Most are solitary animals, although a few live in small family groups, and they are generally shy and secretive, making them difficult to study. They travel across home ranges of up to 3

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s (7.5 acres).

Gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregna ...

lasts up to 50 days, but varies depending on species.

Classification

The listing for extant species is based on The Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's Mammal Species of the World (2005), except where th
Mammal Diversity Database
and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

agree on a change. The 18 living species of pseudocheirid possum are grouped into three subfamilies and six genera. * †'' Pildra'' * †'' Paljara'' * †''

Marlu ''Marlu'' is an extinct genus of Pseudocheiridae from the Oligocene–Miocene of Australia. It consists of five species found at various sites in Australia. ''M. kutjamarpensis'', ''M. karya'', ''M. sykes'' and ''M. ampelos'' from the Miocene ...

'' * †'' Pseudokoala'' * Subfamily

Hemibelideinae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea. Characteristics Physically, they ap ...

** Genus '' Hemibelideus'' ***

Lemur-like ringtail possum The lemuroid ringtail possum (''Hemibelideus lemuroides''), also known as the lemur-like ringtail possum or the brushy-tailed ringtail, is a truly singular member of the ringtail possum group. It was once thought that they were gliding possums (' ...

, ''Hemibelideus lemuroides'' ** Genus ''

Petauroides The greater gliders are three species of large gliding marsupials in the genus ''Petauroides'', all of which are found in eastern Australia. Until 2020 they were considered to be one species, '' Petauroides volans''. In 2020 morphological and g ...

'' ***

Southern greater glider The southern greater glider (''Petauroides volans''), also known as the southern and central greater glider, is a species of large gliding marsupial native to the forests of southeastern Australia. It is a vulnerable species per the IUCN Red Li ...

, ''Petauroides volans'' * Subfamily

Pseudocheirinae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea. Characteristics Physically, they ap ...

** Genus '' Petropseudes'' ***

Rock-haunting ringtail possum The rock-haunting ringtail possum (''Petropseudes dahli''), also known as the rock ringtail possum, is a species of Australian possum. It is found in rocky escarpments in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and Gulf of Carpentaria across Western Aust ...

, ''Petropseudes dahli'' ** Genus ''

Pseudocheirus ''Pseudocheirus'' is a genus of ringtail possums (family Pseudocheiridae). It includes a single living species, the common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'') of Australia, as well as the fossil ''Pseudocheirus marshalli'' from the Pli ...

'' ***

Common ringtail possum The common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'', Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, ...

, ''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'' Possum Ring-tailed444

***

Western ringtail possum The western ringtail possum or ngwayir refers to a species of possum, ''Pseudocheirus occidentalis'', found in a small area of Southwest Australia. They are a cat-sized marsupial with a stocky build, dark greyish-brown fur, pale underparts and ...

, ''Pseudocheirus occidentalis'' ** Genus ''

Pseudochirulus Slender ringtail possum or Small ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus''), also known as the ringtail possum, is a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia. ''Pseudochirulus'' l ...

'' ***

Lowland ringtail possum The lowland ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus canescens'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua N ...

, ''Pseudochirulus canescens'' *** Weyland ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirulus caroli'' ***

Cinereus ringtail possum The Daintree River ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus cinereus''), also known as the cinereus ringtail possum, is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It was long believed to be the same as the Herbert River ringtail p ...

, ''Pseudochirulus cinereus'' *** Painted ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirulus forbesi'' ***

Herbert River ringtail possum The Herbert River ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus herbertensis'') is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is a dark brown to black species, sometimes with a white belly. The Herbert River ringtail possum was lon ...

, ''Pseudochirulus herbertensis'' ***

Masked ringtail possum The masked ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus larvatus'') is a marsupial possum of the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in northeastern New Guinea in the Star Mountains. the eastern Central Cordillera, the Huon Peninsula and the northern coast ...

, ''Pseudochirulus larvatus'' ***

Pygmy ringtail possum The pygmy ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus mayeri'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in the montane forest regions of Papua New Guinea and West Papua, Indonesia.Hatfield, Lucy. "Pseudochirulus mayeri (pygmy ...

, ''Pseudochirulus mayeri'' ***

Vogelkop ringtail possum The Vogelkop ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus schlegeli'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is endemic to the Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a cou ...

, ''Pseudochirulus schlegeli'' * Subfamily

Pseudochiropsinae False ringtail possums (''Pseudochirops'') are members of a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It contains the following species: *D'Albertis's ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops albertisii'' *Green ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops a ...

** Genus '' Pseudochirops'' ***

D'Albertis' ringtail possum D'Albertis' ringtail possum (''Pseudochirops albertisii'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu ...

, ''Pseudochirops albertisii'' *** Green ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops archeri'' *** Plush-coated ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops corinnae'' *** Reclusive ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops coronatus'' *** Coppery ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops cupreus'' *** †'' Pseudochirops winteri''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q23313 Possums Extant Chattian first appearances Taxa named by Herluf Winge Mammal families